Little Lion
by Fb-PHE13
Summary: Three years since Fitz had died. Jemma has been struggling to move on, finding no light in her life. She still remembers that night in the hospital, where they got married; moments before he passed away. Now on a new mission, the team finds a little boy, and Jemma can't help but noticed how much he looks like her Fitz... *sequel to Only Simmons*


**I want to thank ilikehats2 for giving me this idea and allowing me to run with it. So, thank you very much, ilikehats2!**

It had been three years since Leo died. The very thought of him still pained Jemma, but she knew she needed to be strong. However, the others kept dancing around her, as if walking on thin ice. It drove her mad, since they were careful of what they said and were handling her as if she was a porcelain doll. She was thankful that they weren't tossing his name around and bringing up memories every minute, but that didn't mean she enjoyed them avoiding the topic entirely. To her, at times, it seemed that they had forgotten all about him.

They tried to bring in a new engineer, but Jemma kept snapping at him whenever he fumbled. She felt bad at it; it wasn't his fault Leo was dead, but none the less she found she couldn't control it, and he soon left and Coulson hadn't tried to bring on anyone else.

She stared down at her badge, sitting alone in the lab. They were headed to Arizona upon hearing reports of a new Centipede lab, but she couldn't focus on that. In fact, she couldn't really focus on anything other than the fact Leo was gone. She had a feeling Coulson had already thought about dropping her from the team, but she knew he would never do that. They were a family, and she needed them now more than ever.

"We're landing in five," May's voice spoke over the intercom, breaking Jemma out of her thoughts. Sliding her badge back into her pocket, she took a deep breath and checked over the ICERs to make sure everything was well. They didn't know how much this Centipede lab had developed, and if they were expecting their arrival. It was a mystery operation, and Jemma knew she had to be fully prepared to handle any injures.

She hovered near the lab doors, watching as the rest of the team suited up and checked their weapons once more before they headed out. There was a lump of worry in her throat, and she couldn't force it down. She knew she couldn't tell them not to go in, it was their duty to do this kind of thing, but she was so scared she'd lose the rest of her family. Jemma wouldn't be able to bear it if anything happened to them.

Skye glanced over at her before heading over, looking concerned. "Are you okay?"

Jemma forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Better than fine, actually. I just want you guys to come home."

Skye said nothing as she hugged her tightly. "We'll come back," she assured before pulling away, a lopsided grin on her face. "Centipede doesn't know what they're up against!"

Jemma laughed softly and watched sadly as they headed down the ramp and to the Centipede compound, praying for the best. Sighing softly, she turned and headed back into the lab, closing the door behind her as she started to gather medical supplies.

She didn't know how long it took the team to come back, but when they did, they were injured, but they were alive. She also noticed they seemed upbeat slightly, so that was a very good sign. However, as she watched Ward help Skye to the lab and Coulson stop and wait for May, she was startled to see the pilot holding a little boy's hand. Her jaw dropped in surprise, and as Ward and Skye passed, Ward whispered, "Tell you about it after we get in the air."

Jemma shut her jaw and nodded before turning and heading into the lab to start patching them up, glancing back over at the little boy. May was headed back upstairs, and Coulson was crouched down talking to him. Shaking her head, she turned back to Skye, listening to her talk about the whole thing as Jemma worked on getting shrapnel out of her calf. "The operation was very successful," Skye said. "They weren't expecting us to come! Though, the kid was a surprise."

"I could tell," Jemma replied. "What was he doing there anyway?"

"We're not sure," Ward admitted, his voice low as the three of them watched Coulson gently led the child upstairs. "Coulson has a few ideas about why he was there."

Jemma nodded and focused on cleaning out his wounds, making sure none of them were deep enough for stitches. "Has he spoken at all?"

Skye shook her head. "No, the poor kid is too scared. I don't blame him, either, after what happened."

It wasn't long before May and Coulson came back down to join them in the lab. "The kid's asleep," Coulson explained as May allowed Jemma to look at a gash on her arm. "He's a little rattled, but he seems to be doing okay."

"What are we going to do with him, sir?" Ward asked. "It's not safe for a child to be here."

"We'll figure that out soon enough," Coulson promised. "Right now, we just need to rest." He turned to Jemma, and she swallowed when she realized what he was going to say.

"I'm sorry, sir," she began stumbling over her words. "I didn't want to close the ramp because I didn't know if you would be able to get back in."

"Its fine," he assured. "It was under control, but next time, close the ramp."

"Yes, sir," she mumbled softly, giving a small nod. She felt like Coulson was letting her off too easy, but she couldn't tell if that was just her or if he actually was.

Later that night, while everyone else was upstairs, Jemma was down in the lab. She was sitting at Leo's desk, browsing through a photo album of them and the others. She had forgotten she even had it; she found it tucked away under her bunk and she couldn't remember why it was under there in the first place.

She was startled out of her memories when she heard sniffling sounds, and looked up to see the little boy by the stairs, looking frightened and confused. He turned to the lab, and his eyes lit up when he saw Jemma and he ran inside. "Who are you?" He whispered, blue eyes large as he looked up at her.

Jemma's heart caught in her throat. He looked so much like Leo… she dismissed the thought and replied sweetly, "I'm Jemma; and you are?"

"Leo," he replied, and she noticed his fear seemed to be leaving. When she heard his name, her heart stopped, but she ignored it once more. He yawned, and Jemma felt a small smile grow on her face.

"Are you tired, little one?"

Leo nodded, but then his bottom lip quivered. "The others are scary, I don't wanna be up there alone."

Jemma stood up and rested the photo album onto the desk carefully, before taking Leo's little hand. "Would you feel better if I went up there with you?"

The little boy nodded and she carefully guided him back upstairs, feeling his little hand squeezing hers. Once upstairs, she headed to the bunks, and opened hers, allowing Leo to go in first. He turned and looked at her, as if asking permission to get on her bed. She nodded, and Leo crawled up, yawning widely.

She wasn't sure what changed in her, but Jemma found herself tucking him in and waiting for him to go to sleep before leaving the bunk. She made sure to keep the door open, in case Leo woke up again, and headed to the small kitchen to get herself some water. As she pulled a bottle out of the fridge, a voice behind her spoke. "Hey, have you seen the kid?"

Jemma jumped and turned, letting out a small nervous chuckle. "Sorry, Skye, you scared me. Leo's sleeping right now." She gestured toward the direction of her bunk, and Skye grinned.

"Aw, it looks like your mother side is showing, Simmons," Skye teased, but Jemma could hear relief in her voice, which puzzled her. "It's good to see that Leo trusts you."

Jemma nodded in agreement, and she couldn't help but feel a little proud of that fact.

The next morning, Jemma took Leo around the bus, showing him around. He was starting to warm up to the others a little bit, but he still refused to be alone with them, and always tagged along with Jemma. She felt protective over the little boy, and she was worried about what he saw while at the Centipede lab, or if they did anything to him.

Skye kept looking online to see if there were any missing children reports of Leo, but nothing came up. Jemma started to grow worried and feared that Leo was either an orphan or his parents didn't care, and either worked for Centipede or they never bothered to look for him if he was kidnapped.

However, she also knew Coulson would ask Skye to start looking into trustworthy orphanages, and the very thought of that made her heart grow heavy. She grew attached to Leo, and she couldn't bear the thought of giving him up.

Sighing softly, Jemma removed herself from her thoughts and worked on removing the stiches from Skye's leg, the wound healing very nicely. "You know, Leo has become part of the team," Skye began, her other leg swinging. "It's going to be different with him gone."

Jemma swallowed. "Yeah, it will be. I'll really miss the little lion." She finishes checking the wound, making sure it didn't need to be bandaged.

Skye looked down at her and grinned. "The little lion? That's adorable!" Jemma's face heated up and she stood, her hands fluttering with embarrassment. She couldn't say anything before Skye spoke again, but softer. "You really are attached to him, aren't you, Simmons?"

Jemma looked down and nodded. "I know I should've have gotten attached, but Leo really needs someone."

Skye smiled and stood, wrapping her friend in a tight hug. "I know, Simmons. He's lucky to have you as a mother figure, and I'm glad you have someone to take care of."

Jemma lied on her bed in her bunk, Leo sprawled across her lap as he slept soundly. It was late, but she couldn't sleep. She wanted to know if Coulson had found a place for him or not, and the thought was keeping her up. In hopes of keeping herself distracted, she was going through the scrapbook once more, but this time she added a few new pictures in the back. The pictures were with Leo, and she wanted to keep as many memories of the little boy as she could before he left. She stopped at a picture of her and Fitz, and a sad smile etched across her face. "You would love him, Fitz," she whispered softly, before turning her attention to a soft knock on her bunk. "You can enter."

Coulson slid opened the door and looked inside, smiling softly when he saw Leo passed out. "Good news," he whispered. "We found a home for Leo, if they'll take him."

Jemma's sadness turned into confusion. "What do you mean by that, sir?"

"Since you two have bonded so well," Coulson explained. "We decided to let him stay if you adopt him."

Jemma's heart swelled with glee and her eyes glittered brightly. "You really mean that?" Coulson nodded and she grinned. "Thank you so much, sir!"

He chuckled softly and left the bunk, quietly closing the door behind him as Jemma gently tussled Leo's hair. The little boy mumbled something and shifted, but he didn't wake up. "You have a home now, my little lion," she murmured lovingly, gently putting the scrapbook aside and turning out the light.

Jemma Simmons was complete once more.


End file.
